Week 10 Preview – Rams v. 49ers

The Rams have a huge game on their plate this week away from home. The 49ers still consider themselves in the divisional race since they are only 2 games behind. The Rams need this win to consider themselves contenders for the division title. Secondly, the Rams need to prove that they can win on the road.

TV

The Rams will be shown only in the area around St. Louis and in California and some of Nevada. But not LA, sorry Southern California Rams fans. Check out the map for your area.

What to Watch For

Troy Smith – 2nd game in a row that I have lead with the opposing team’s starting quarterback, but the second week in a row the Rams have faced an interesting story at quarterback. Troy Smith is mobile, which has caused the Rams trouble in the past. They may need to keep their wild blitzes under control to prevent open field behind the blitzers. Smith was cut by Baltimore and is now starting in SF which Alex Smith heals. The Rams can get interceptions from Troy Smith who is not known for his accuracy.

Rams Offensive Line– The 49ers front 7 are impressive and their defensive line has dominated the Rams offensive line in past meetings, but the Rams should have their full starting offensive line as Jason Smith will be back from his concussion. If the Rams offense wants to control the 49ers defense, then they will have to have a lot of success from the offensive line.

Rams Receivers – The receivers have had a week off to heal. Against Carolina, Sam Bradford started out with a lot of short throws, finally adding the long throws later in the game when the field opened up. The short throws helped Sam Bradford gain confidence early in the game, even if the Rams offense wasn’t moving down the field.

Rams Defensive Line – The Rams were able to close down Troy Smith in the preseason when he got a full game to try out for the Ravens roster. They were able to force him to a line of: 18-38-237, 2 INTs, passer rating 45.6, 3 sacks.
He also had 56 with 2 TDs. The most important take away from this is that he was way more successful when he was able to get out on the run. The Rams defensive line will have to get to Smith to sack him, but also prevent the running lanes. The defensive line will have the number 1 assignment to contain him.

Michael Lewis – The Rams picked up the safety before the Carolina game after he had enough of a disagreement with 49ers head coach Mike Singletary to up and leave the team. He was a starting safety last season with the 49ers. The Rams should find a way to use him in this game as he will be extra inspired to play hard and prove Mike Singletary wrong.

Frank Gore – The 49ers star running back has torched the Rams in the recent past and just like the Rams offense, the running game is of the utmost importance. The Rams have had a few problems with tackling this season, especially with big, strong running backs. The Rams will need to wrap up and gang tackle Frank Gore to prevent him from getting free and into the open field.